2014 Winners & Shortlists

DON'T GO TO LEBANON

BrandMINISTRY OF TOURISM
Product/ServiceMINISTRY OF TOURISM
EntrantIMPACT BBDO Beirut, LEBANON
CategoryNon-Corporate
Entrant Company IMPACT BBDO Beirut, LEBANON
Advertising Agency IMPACT BBDO Beirut, LEBANON

The Campaign

Tourism is Lebanon's most vital industry and constitutes to this day the country's major source of revenue. Due to the ongoing political turmoil, and as the awaited touristic season was just about to begin in Lebanon, neighboring countries, alongside international authorities made it quite clear that Lebanon should not be considered as a touristic destination due to the many events, heavily shared on various media platforms. This made any comeback somehow impossible for the Ministry of Tourism, which found itself crippled at this crucial time of the touristic year. But it's never been Lebanese to just give up. In that sense, a pivotal action was needed to counterattack the fierce media war, in very little time. The Ministry of Tourism needed to address local and more importantly its audience outside of Lebanon with a message that would emphasize on the real benefits of choosing Lebanon as a touristic destination. The core of the campaign revolved around a viral TVC showcasing Lebanon’s true colors, and intentionally featuring popular star power to build on a powerful PR deployment, once the TVC was launched. The title and the tone of voice of the TVC were deliberately controversial, also a tool to fuel the PR repercussions and intensify the debate around the campaign on various media channels.

The Brief

The Ministry of Tourism needed to face that gloomy reality with a relevant yet unconventional approach, by creating a campaign that would somehow be tailored to this particular turn of events; a campaign that would trigger an emotional response from the potential tourists and Lebanese expatriates, despite the regional upset that was crippling the country. In that time, research showed that despite the common counsel of staying away from Lebanon, there's a poignant emotional value that you'll only find in Lebanon and nowhere else.

Results

In less than a week, it gathered a whopping half a million views and became the most viewed local TVC ever. The powerful message of hope showcasing Lebanon's true colors was shared and debated by millions of Lebanese at home and abroad, generating thousands of dollars in free media and triggering extensive PR through various popular channels, nationally and globally. In more practical terms, Beirut was named as one of the top 20 touristic destinations worldwide that same year ahead of Paris, Melbourne and Barcelona. Also, the United Nations World Tourism Organization crowned Byblos best touristic city in the Arab World. The Ministry of Tourism managed to absorb the shock that had been inflicted by the common and harmful misconceptions of the ruthless media, by registering over 1 million incoming tourists in a year where hope was lost for any touristic activity.

Execution

On July 2nd 2013 the Ministry of Tourism aired a film on TV and online, intentionally entitled "DON'T GO TO LEBANON". For the first time in years, the angle had to be different from the traditional valorization of national landmarks and monuments to an approach that was more emotional, more relevant to the context. Hence the paradox of promoting what is usually regarded as not recommended, by showing the real emotional value that stems from certain activities that are typical to the Lebanese DNA; despite the common counsel of staying away from Lebanon, there's a poignant emotional value that you'll only find in Lebanon and nowhere else. The TVC that soon became viral triggered online and on ground debates and generated a remarkable sense of patriotism because it managed to awaken people’s true instincts about their country. The taglines “Don’t Go to Lebanon” and “What’s nicer than Lebanon” became the center of radio discussions. The 2 stars of the TVC were invited to various popular TV shows to elaborate on Ministry of Tourism’s campaign.

The Situation

Due to the ongoing political turmoil, and as the awaited touristic season was just about to begin in Lebanon, neighboring countries, alongside international authorities made it quite clear that Lebanon should not be considered as a touristic destination due to the many events, heavily shared on various media platforms. This made any comeback somehow impossible for the Ministry of Tourism, which found itself crippled at this crucial time of the touristic year.

The Strategy

By adequately allocating the influence of renowned Lebanese stars, the TVC shows a very warm image of the true Lebanon, beautified by Wadih el Safi's iconic music from the song "Rah Halfak" amplifying the authentic Lebanese cachet, and a tone of voice that depicts the beauty in contradiction, entitled "Don't go to Lebanon". The paradox approach is meant to implicate powerful PR around the campaign, on TV, radio, in the press and online.

Credits

Name Company Role
Walid Kanaan Impact Bbdo Chief Creative Officer
Miriam Jbeili IMPACT BBDO Associate Creative Director
Karim Diab IMPACT BBDO General Manager
Farah Feghali IMPACT BBDO Account Executive
Rawad Keyrouz Impact Bbdo Tv Producer
Samir Tamari Impact Bbdo Creative Director Director Tv Producer
Chris Jabre Impact Bbdo Copywirter
Wim Coetsee Impact Proximity Regioanl Technical Director
Syed Azeem Afzal Impact Proximity Regional Head Of Digital